Pomly

Here is the Wee Peppermint Beast and his two friends. These fellows are wee, and perfect for hanging on your tree. Come make one of these guys with me at the Wee Peppermint Beast Workshop at Gallery Hanahou in NYC on December 19. Reserve your space now! Hope to see you there! :)

Workshop: Make a Wee Peppermint Beast Ornament with Plush Artist Jenny Harada!
Saturday, December 19, 1-4 pm
Cost: $20
Email info@galleryhanahou.com to sign up!
http://galleryhanhou.com

The weather had been gloomy and it took me many attempts to photograph these little guys adequately. I just kept adding and and adding lamps. I finally set them up under the winter garden grow lights. Mark is working on setting up my little dream indoor garden as I type. I am so excited to grow spinach indoors this winter. The setup is about 95% complete. Well, until I figure out a better way to photograph plushies, I think the plants are going to get temporarily booted every now and again. If you have any advice for setting up indoor lighting for photography, please do share!
P.S. tips for doing it on the cheap would be preferable because my budget for lighting is approximately $0, haha!

For those of you who won't be able to make it to the workshop but still would like to make yourself a little beast, stay tuned for the pattern, and possibly a kit. In the meantime, if you're feeling Xmassy, you could busy your hands with some elf chum making if you like. We made these creepy little darlings at the Luv-able and Hug-able workshop I led last year and it was a grand old time.


Hop on over to the Etsy shop for the pattern.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

Three beasts, pre-hugged and looking for a new home. Currently living in London. Being auctioned on Ebay by the fabulous Leona of Lady Luck Rules OK. Here's your chance to adopt one of these classic characters that I may or may not ever feel like sewing any more of ever! Click links below pics to go to auctions.


Peppermint Beast


Mr. Rainbow


Bloonicorn

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

Here is a little piece entitled Bat Flower that I sent to Monkeyhouse Toys for a charity benefit art show that opens tonight.

5" x 7", fabric, beads, fun fur, embroidery floss, thread, ready to hang in a glittery frame

Info about the show:
FIREFLY
A Charity Art Show and Sale
to benefit Junkiri School, Hopeful Vocational
School and Children for Green Nepal

Opening reception on Saturday, September 19th, 5pm-9pm
Work will be on view through September 30th

100% of the proceeds from this show will be going to benefit the Junkiri School, the Hopeful Vocational School, and Children for Green Nepal.

Please visit gala-ed.org to learn more about GALA and these wonderful and needed programs.

"Junkiri means firefly in Nepali, the idea of the school's name is that the children create their own light to guide them through life."

Artists include:

Chirag Bangdel
Astha Tuladhar
Amit Baniya
Rabin Maharjan
Sabnum Shrestha
Juju Kaji Maharjan
Bisnu Lama
Josh Taylor
Jenna Colby
Dee Chavez
woolloomooloo
Mary J. Hoffman
Lauren Preston
John Hicks
Heather Chavez
Carl Lozada
Chris Hartford
Alina Chau
Kelly Thompson
Edzepln
Spooky Daddy
Bee Harris
Donna Letterese
Jenny Harada
Frank Furlong
Christine Velez
Jonathan Bueno
Christian Robles
Monkeyhouse Toys & Art Gallery
1618 1/2 Silver Lake Bl.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323-662-3437
monkeyhousetoys.com


Here is a velour seal that I made when I was about 10 yrs old. It was commissioned by my grandmother. She kept it on top of her perfectly made bed complete with bedspread for many years. I inherited it back from her about seven years ago. Here she is trying to see which is taller, her or the pile of #6 containers I have saved for a project. If she stands on her tippy flippers, she is indeed taller!


Bacterial speck has overcome. It has been a bad year for tomatoes, folks. Well it's kinda cute how this one looks like a ladybug anyway. My two yr old noticed it. She was saying, "Ladybug, mommy! Ladybug, mommy!" and it was right in my hand and it took me a while to find the ladybug.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I was making something with a dolly face but I didn't like that factory mess up blue smear on her forehead. (Some stray junk got embedded in the vinyl making it discolored.) So, I ripped it out and now she looks whiskery. Maybe I will try making a whiskery baby on purpose sometime.

That's how it goes when you are making a book about making monsters. There has been a lot of trial and erRAWRrrr. Many monsters have been made. Many monsters have been destroyed. There are only so many pages in a book, so there are a bunch of extra beasts lurking around too. I'll be sharing some of those bonus projects here some time soon. In the meantime, I am looking for a few good Dr. Frankenstein types to join my crusade. Do you fancy yourself a monster maker extraordinaire? Maybe you'd like to contribute to my monster book. Email me if that's you. jh AT jennyharada DOT com. BTW, that title up there, "Me Make Monster," is also the title of my book! It will be coming out next year from F+W. Check out all their fabulous crafty titles on My Craftivity.


My brother's family got a new puppy and we made this blueberry pie to celebrate. I can't really take any credit for making this, but I can take credit for eating some. I did however made a quiche with the same crust, my sister-in-law's secret crust recipe, and it came out so good. It was a crusty goodness day!


Here is my favorite new special blend for a tasty sauce. One each of apple, tomato, onion, and banana. I am going to super chop these and throw them in the slow cooker in just a bit for tonight's dinner!

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

Hello blogland buddies. How are you? I am doing fine. Today my son started kindergarten. Now that school has started, I've given myself the assignment of writing here on the bloggy, once again. I inadvertently leap-blogged right over the three summeriest of months! Most of the words I have written lately have been devoted to the book I am working on. I will share more about that very soon. It's quite exciting, I think. For now, here are some words and pictures to sum up my summer.

Spent some time at the shore, but not enough.


Grew lots of things in the garden and ate them.


Here is a project that did not end up in the book.


The lemon is CLOSED.


Three wet hibiscus blooms on the Veranda. It pretty much rained every day this summer.


Just one snack among snacks.


xo Jenny

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

Made some pancakes. You make rainbow pancakes ONCE and they want rainbow every time. So I said we can use one color. This all natural blue food coloring does not work so well. But it looks lovely with his eyes.


If pancakes naturally poured square instead of circle, they might have looked rather sidewalky. Despite their cement intentions, they were pretty darn delicious and that is why I got no photos of the final cakes.

In case you come 'round here to see the plushes, here is a grey fellow for you. He told me to say wassup. Don't have much else to show right now since I am working on the book.

Robo Elka just happens to be looking for a mommy or daddy or both.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I have one drawer that is dedicated to just cookies cutters. It is full to the max. This one got bent out of shape just from trying to open the drawer. Time to move them to a bigger home! Can you tell what this one is supposed to be? In smooshed form, it looks like a space age low rider.


We brought out the game cube.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

This beautiful mother's day bouquet includes two rare and exotic bloomin' blondies. I am such a lucky momma!

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

We had a garden leaf tasting.
I planted some of these and some of them planted themselves.
Favorite leaf combo: mint + stevia
(click pic to see leafy name tags)


Here is where the green things grow, in this tiny urban plot.


The mint is taking over. Its roots have reached the furthest corners of the garden. Lots of iced tea on the horizon!


Wheatgrass Cthulhu.


Sprouts are good for eating.


Sprouts are good for building.


Vegetable.


Not a vegetable.
Why does this plate say "February" when the violets are in full bloom right now? Perhaps the artist lived south of New Jersey.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

Hey guess what, I won a prize! Yay, I am a lucky girl. The prize was a pretty little button on The Crafty Crow blog. I love The Crafty Crow! To add some fun and spread the love, I put a secret code on the button for a sale in my Etsy shop. So if there's something in my shop that you dig, now you can dig it for 20% off. Head on over to The Crafty Crow to look for the POMLY button and then hop back to use the secret code. The sale will last as long as the button is up. I have a bunch of things that I have been meaning to add to the shop, so I am going to try and get those in there. I've been nutso busy with the book I have been writing, so I really haven't been adding stuff, but I am going to try and add more stuff, special for this secret code sale. There are a bunch of creatures sitting around here wondering why I haven't been paying any attention to them.


Made some alphabet soup.
Poured some in a bowl.
XOXO!
I swear I did not stage this!


This one was staged.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I've been feeling super experimenty in the kitchen lately. The more you experiment, the more chances you have to get things wrong. First up we have pumpernickel buns of steel. You can also call them fauxtatoes or rocks. I think my yeast is dead. Must buy new jar.


Here are some healthified krispy treats. I thought they tasted good but the family hardly touched them so that's not a great sign. Enjoying your own bad cooking methinks is akin to not being offended by one's own toots.


Finally, here is rainbow jello with too much blue layer and so it mostly looked like coal lumps. YUM!

Ok yes I've relinquished the notion that it is important to put pretty borders on the pictures. It takes too long and there are monstery things that need to be done around here. I must figure out how to create an automatic Photoshop action to assume the task. I will consult Dr. Googy on that one soon. Or if you can teach me, I'll send you a batch of your favorite of any of the above tasty morsels. I joke. My next attempt is going to be to make homemade Twinkies. Wish me luck. I have a recipe but it says nothing about any orange flavor. Am I crazy to think that there is a hint of orange flavor in Twinkies? Haven't had one in years, so perhaps I am inventing that memory. I think injecting the creamy filling will be fun! And now I am going to go try to sleep but how will it be possible with homemade Twinkies on the mind?

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

The latest batch of seed pots are made of paper bags and toilet paper rolls. They look like a little city as they hang out near the growing area just waiting to be filled with dirt.

Here's a little bloggy questionnaire that I swiped from Hodge Podge Farm.

What is your current obsession?
Watching the seedlings grow. So much happens in a day. It's fascinating. Take this little drama, for example. This one sun gold cherry tomato was having a hard time getting his head to pop out of the dirt. Since this picture was taken, he sacrificed his own first leaves! The stem broke away and is now heading upward while the leaves remain in the ground! The ultimate sacrifice, but it was all for naught because I am going to thin most of these guys out of there anyway.


Which item from your closet are you wearing most lately?
Tall and cozy red over the knee socks.

What's for dinner?
Slow cookin!

What was the last thing you bought?
Lemongrass, galangal and coconut milk, among other ingredients. Can you guess what I am going to make?

What are you listening to right now?
Peace and quiet. Nothing but the lull of the dishwasher and the washing machine, so beautiful together. Thanks for doing the work for me, friendly machines!

Say something to the person who tagged you:
Hi Cal! You didn't actually tag me but I think you are totally neato-freato.

What are you planting in your garden this year?
So far I've started cilantro, popcorn, watermelon, delicata squash, two kinds of tomato, broccoli, zinnia, and petunia. I want to plant so much more! I am afraid the watermelon and squash are destined to take over the whole garden.


What are you reading right now?
Mine blogroll

What is your current guilty pleasure?
Candied orange peels

What will be the first spring thing you do?
Till the bitty bit of earth in our little yard.

Where are you planning to travel next?
Virginia to see (be) the Easter Bunny.

If you could grow any plant(s) in the world in your house or yard, what would it be?
cinnamon, tea, avocado, lemon, lime, mango, pomegranate, so many things!

What was the last thing you made?
Some monsters.

What do you collect?
Seeds.

It's hard for me to throw seeds away. I want to grow every seed I cross paths with. I like collecting seeds from the things I eat and also from the wild. Swapping seeds or just giving them away is fun too. Some of these are over 10 years old. What do you think I should plant next?

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Play along! These are the rules: Answer these same questions on your own blog. Replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention. Add one more question of your own. Tag eight other un-tagged people.

I tag: Loolee, Schnerby, Elka, Jhomas, Cosette, Weemaway, Snorglor, Ms. Nitro-Sweet

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

My son has been begging for rainbow pancakes ever since we made them the first time over a year ago. When I realized so much time had passed, I knew I could not keep putting it off, so I decided St. Patrick's Day would be the perfect day to hold the 2nd annual Rainbow Pancake Day. It was fun, but kind of rushed because it was a school day. Next year I declare Rainbow Pancake day will be the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day.

Extremely rushed pancake designs, clockwise from top left:
Corporate logo pancake
Little Old Lady Who? pancake
Disfigured Hot Dog with Mustard on Bun, Cross Section pancake
Digestive System pancake

I tried out the all natural food colorings. The result was kind of dull compared to the fake stuff. I guess that was to be expected. I am sure I could figure out how to use them better, though. Maybe use more coloring and a lower flame to cook the pancakes? Another downside is that they are really expensive. I probably would not have bought them if I was paying attention to the scanner at the grocery store. It does feel better using colors derived from real food instead of crap, but for the price, I wish they were organic too. Since we had limited time before school, I didn't have much time to get artistic. Just blobtastic.

And now, my 1/4 Irish self must venture out to procure the proper provisions for tonight's holiday feast. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

In case you like to take a looky at some cookies:


(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I can't wait to grow way too many things to possibly fit in my little tiny backyard this summer. For the first year ever I've got a good head start on getting some seedlings going. I've been sowing a thing or two for the past few days. My popcorn babies have already emerged! I've got some fancy heat mats and some fancy grow lights. However, my set-up is not so fancy. I need to assemble something more sturdy. Right now those lights are quite precariously perched. All of the seedling pots are made from recycled stuff. There are some berry containers and some origami newspaper pots. I found out by trial and error that a nine inch square will make the perfect sized pot to fit six of them in a rectangle Chinese food take out container. Click here for the instructions I used. There is one tricky step, but it's really not that hard and once you figure it out these fold up rather quickly. One nice thing about making these is that you don't have to be precise because dirt doesn't care. Make sure to use newspaper printed with soy based inks. You don't want toxic chems in your veggies!


This is going to be popcorn one day! I hope they don't get bored just sitting around growing. Well I guess they can occupy themselves with that crossword puzzle. I find it thrilling just watching the corn grow. I keep checking on them. It only took two days for them to peek a boo! When the other things pop out I am going to go crazy just staring at all the cute little babies. I have a grand dream of one day growing all the food that my family will eat. I wonder if that will ever be reality. It would definitely have to involve a greenhouse. Maybe our whole house could be a big greenhouse. That would be cool.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

nine grain bread
banana slices
homemade peach schnapps cream cheese


it was so delicious
nine grain bread
veggie bacon
red onion
fresh basil
lettuce
pumpkin puree (prepared with a little salt and butter)

I ate some sandwiches. Isn't that exciting? Well it was for me. I have two big projects going on and they are secret for now, so there might not be many new plush pictures around here for a while. Most likely to appear here in the next few months: pictures of food I made and things I am growing. I am planting lots and lots of seeds. I am going to fill my little urban garden to the max this summer! If you'd like to see some more sandwiches, hop on over to this silly blog I came across: SCANWICHES

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

Shortbread in the shape of elephants. I wish I had given them faces. Next time.


It went nicely with some sweet cheese I made.

One chilly evening not that long ago I decided I would like to have a comforting beverage. I somehow concluded that warm milk with a shot of peach schnapps would be the ultimate in liquid cozy delight. WRONG. Curds and whey formed. I became nauseated and dumped it. But then soon after I put on the cheesemaker hat and reenacted the same technique which resulted in a sweet and peachy yummy spreadable! I let it strain for about a week and only ended up with about 1/4 cup, but I am so proud of my first little cheese. My recurring dream of being a cheesemaker is now reality. I can't wait to try this again. Perhaps I shall consult my friend "Googy" for tried and true methods. Did you know that it takes a lot of milk to make a little bit of cheese?


The elephants went to school in the snack cup with some raisins. I was tempted to entitle this snack "elephants and their droppings" but I resisted and asked my son to think up a name instead. He said "elephants and ants." Much better.

Hey I missed my 4th blogiversary last month. Can I still celebrate even though I don't write here very much at all? Do people who lead boring lives still count their birthdays? YES! Well then whoop dee doo! Hooray for four!

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I went to the embroidery party at Gallery Hanahou. I love everyone at this gallery. Always a nice time. The show is up until the 27th and the work will be available online on the 11th. Definitely check it out because there is a lot of beautiful, interesting and fun work in this show!
galleryhanahou.com


It's doubly exciting when something blooms in the winter. This guy stretched out his neck really far in search of scarce winter sunlight, before deciding to open up. This is my favorite color, as you may have guessed.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I stitched some Happy Hearts for an exhibit called Forget Me-Not. It was quite an enjoyable project and I am so happy to be a part of this show. I can't wait to see the rest of the work at the reception. And now for the official announcement from the gallery...

Please join us on Friday, February 6th for a show on love, embroidery, and new interpretations of both.


gallery hanahou presents
Forget Me-Not

embroidered love from the new craft movement
February 6 - 27
Opening reception: Friday, February 6th, 6-8 pm RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com


gallery hanahou / 611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC / galleryhanahou.com


For generations, women have expressed love of family through the painstaking art of embroidery. This February, gallery hanahou presents a new generation of embroidery artists using needle and thread to depict love in broader terms, whether idealized and simple or brutal and complicated. Curated by Kristen Rask, this group exhibit of affordable artwork will win your affection in more ways than one. A meaningful alternative to waxy chocolates.


In conjunction with Forget Me-Not, gallery hanahou will host a special Valentine embroidery workshop on Saturday, February 7th, at 1 pm. Space is limited, so please contact info@galleryhanahou.com asap for details!


Artists

Aimee Ray, Apol Lejano-Massebieau, Diem Chau, Emily Eibel, Emily Katz, Heidi Kenney, Jenny Harada, Jessica Marquez, Joetta Maue, Kate Durkin, Katherine Shaughnessy, Kayte Terry, Kris Garland, Kristen Rask, Mary Yaeger, Molly Dilworth, Nicole Licht, Orly Cogan, Pamela Davis, sam*skiart, Sarah Horton, Shanna Fiorucci, Shannon Rankin, Vanessa Lauria, Vivienne Strauss

All of the artwork in Forget Me-Not will also be available for viewing and purchase online via galleryhanahou.com beginning February 11.


gallery hanahou
611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC
[7th Floor of the Cable Building, NW corner of Broadway + Houston]
Mon-Fri noon-6 pm, Sat by appt only
646-486-6586
info@galleryhanahou.com
www.galleryhanahou.com

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)

I miss my camera dearly. I usually take lots of pictures every day, but now it's in the shop. I am addicted to it I guess. I like to document my life, even if I never look at them much or share them with anyone. When I was little I used to imagine that a great invention would be made where anyone's memory could be fully recorded and replayed like a VCR. My mind is always so full of ideas and thoughts bouncing around. It never rests really. It's loud inside my brain and I have trouble falling asleep. I think that this invention would allow my mind to rest a little. I could let some things go. Let them bounce right out of my head! It would all be there on tape, and could be accessed at any time. So taking lots of pictures is my closest way to replicate this dream of mine. You'd think video might be better, but it's it's too hard to take and keep track of IMO. I've been using my husband's camera whenever I get the chance, but it's not the same. I am so happy that I might be able to get it back tomorrow! I've never been great as steady blogging, and without the camera, its generally rather improbable that I might even come here. Well despite that, here's a little something just because I felt like popping in.

I've been making candied orange peels around here whenever there are peels to be had. It's much better than throwing them out and it's way better than eating crappy junk food candy. I wouldn't say these are healthy, but they are organic and pure and simple with no scary ingredients. I like to call them REAL candy. The kids gobble them up. It's amazing this photo even happened. Four out of sixteen remain and didn't last much longer after this snap. Got the recipe from Martha with a tip off from Sarah. And the syrup that is left over in the pot is useful for sweetening your tea or anything else that could use orangey sweetness.

The creature pile is building up in the corner. When I get my camera back I shall start adding them to the shop. Other than that, I have two pretty big exciting projects that I just embarking upon. For now, they will remain a secret. But just for fun, if you like, you can peek at my page of sketches that I scanned and compiled to help gather my thoughts for one of said projects.

Please send good wishes that I will be reunited with my dear camera soon. I know, I am really lucky that this is one my most pressing worries at this moment.

(Originally published at Harada Blogada)